Korroticus
Korraticus is a male elf wizard/cleric NPC in the Om campaign. Summary Korraticus is a former Wild Runner who attacked a caravan escorted by the Royal Explorers, but was convinced by their mercy towards him to work towards better relations between elves and humans. He later prevented his fellow elves from attacking the same caravan when they trespassed on sacred caves and even saved Gunnar the Wolf from Gildornain betrayal. He refused to join Gallerius' rebellion, feeling the elf could not be trusted. He is a saunch friend and ally of the Fate Fighters. Background Korroticus was born long before the arrival of of the Wayward Sons to Elira. He is a member of the Dralthanor Tribe, and was educated in both magic and clerical means, by Tacitus, growing to become both a capable wizard and a devout follower of The Dancer. Korroticus fought against the Wayward Sons in the War of Conquest in 350 AC and retreated back to Dralthanor after the elves were defeated. It took little time for him to become disillusioned with Gildornian attitudes and edicts against the Kirathi Elves but he, like many Dralthanor, did not participate in the uprising that took place in 435. He thought, as did many, that there was a path to peaceful coexistence and that the disunited elves were no match for the organized and well equipped Gildornians. He has witnessed repeated atrocities committed by the Gildornians before and since the failed uprising and grew disillusioned with the idea that the Kirathi and the Gildornans could co-exist peacefully. This disillusionment grew into bitterness and caused him to eventually join the Wild Runners out of disgust. As part of the Wild Runners he assisted on several attacks against the human settlements in the colonies, killing several humans alongisde his fellow Wild Runners. Ambushing Gildornian Caravans On the 1st of Gatekeeper, 465, Korroticus summoned a Mimic and left it on the main road out of Waymere to ambush a caravan of Gildornian settlers. The Royal Explorers were escorting the caravan and engaged the Mimic, destroying it. They engaged Korroticus as well, and when he attempted to flee, Jasper Conroy immobilized him magically, leading to Korroticus' capture. The Explorers questioned Korrticus but, fully expecting to be executed by the humans, he refused to even speak Common to them merely spitting at them in Elven and telling them to get on with his murder. The Explorers asked why Korroticus sought to attack the caravan and, with Jasper, Fynn and Fern acting as translator, he explained all of the crimes and injustices perpetrated upon the Kirathi elves by the Gildornians. Wu Xen, speaking in broken Elven, explained that he wanted harmony between the elves and humans and that they sought for the settlement the caravan was to build would be a place where the races could live together in equality and harmony. Surprised that the human would even bother trying to speak to him directly in Elven, Korroticus found himself believing that the human spoke truth, and he admitted that he would support such a goal. Jasper advocated turning Korroticus over to the squad of soldiers that were accompanying the caravan, but Wu refused, stating that Duke Agrippa would simply execute him. Jasper called upon his divine magic to prevent anyone in the area from knowingly speaking a falsehood and promised that they would release Korroticus if he swore to not attack any more non-combatants. Korroticus said he could not speak for any of the other Wild Runners, but that he personally would adhere to the promise. With that, the Royal Explorers freed him. As Korroticus left he gave Fynn a magic ring that would allow him to locate the wearer again. Confronting the Caravan Again Korroticus, surprised at having been shown mercy by humans and convinced that at least the ones he spoke to wished to creates a harmonious settlement, began to re-examine his way of thinking. However, a few days after his encounter with the Royal Explorers he learned they had trespassed on the sacred caves that held the tomb Halthadrian. He and a group of elves traveled there to investigate, indeed finding the humans in the cave. Wu Xen approached Korroticus' party and explained that the caravan had taken shelter in the cave during a horrible storm, but that five children had gotten lost in the caves and had not been found. Korroticus explained that he believed that given the circumstances he could convince his companions to hold off until sunset, but that if the humans did not vacate by then, they would physically remove them. Wu promised that they would vacate by then, but that the other Royal Explorers were already searching for the children and that he would join them soon to inform them of the situation. The humans kept their word and as the sun went down, the Caravan vacated the cave and set up camp a half a mile away. The Royal Explorers had not yet found the children and surfaced yet, and the elves began to search the caves, where they soon came upon Fynn, who explained that the others would be leaving as soon as possible. They escorted Fynn from the cave, and soon enough found the others and led them out as well. Korroticus explained to his comrades that these humans were reasonable and managed to get them invited to their camp as guests. After speaking with Fynn and Fern, Korrticus learned that the spirit of Halthadrian had allowed the twins into his tomb and named them as Heralds, stating that they would identify the next King who could unite the tribes. This was amazing as for hundreds of years no elf had ever been able to enter the tomb. Korroticus offered to share their camp with the human caravan, and Wu, Noel Gorehammer and Corin Ironcheek convinced the humans to accept. Speaking Common, Korroticus welcomed the humans and invited their identified leader, Linus Holmes, to sit with him. The night gave way to an impromptu feast between the to peoples, and both he and Linus publicly spoke of peace and cooperation going forward. Wu also publicly gave the gift of a magic quarterstaff to Korriticus as a symbol of harmony, and Korroticus reciprocated, giving Wu a pair of magical boots and publicly calling him a friend. That night, after the festivities, Korroticus told Jasper and the Twins that he would need to call a moot of all the Kirathi tribes in Kal-Thalas to discuss the next king. For his efforts in attempting to foster peace again, and the promising results with the Royal Explorers, the elders of the Dralthanor Tribe offered him a direct position working for them and naming him an emissary of the tribe. Coming to the Rescue Early in the month of Twins, 465, Korroticus and a small group of elves led by Korroticus was in the woods near a regiment of Gildornian troops marching south. They witnesses a massive battle where the Gildornians seemed to be trying to kill Opal, Gunnar the Wolf and his companions Frelik and Astrid. Korroticus ordered his men to attack in order to give the four the opportunity to flee. Frelik and Astred were killed, but Korroticus was able to save Opal and Gunnar, flying them to Dralthanor via Griffinback. Opal introduced himself to Korroticus, revealing that he was from the Valthanor Tribe. He explained that he was friends with the Royal Explorers (who now had completely severed their ties with Gildorn and now called themselves the Fate Fighters.) Opal revealed that Tugadumness, the leader of the Wild Runners, had led an ambush on Gunnar, who had prevailed and slain Tugadumness, but was cursed by an Irda dagger in the process. When Gunnar turned to the Gildornians for aid, they turned on him and also tried to assassinate him, leading to the battle Korroticus witnessed. Korroticus agreed to grant Gunnar sanctuary and arranged for him to be cured of the curse. A New Ally Korrticus arranged for Opal to be returned to Stonewatch Abbey, the headquarters of the Fate Fighters, and sought out his mentor, Tacitus, and asked him to personally heal Gunnar the Wolf. Tacitus agreed, though advised that the cure would take quite some time. Gunnar, for his part, was infuriated at the Guildornian betrayal and expressed that he would be more than happy to work with the elves to punish them for their betrayal. He also managed to get word to all of the tribes, telling them of the events at Halthadrian's tomb. The other tribes agreed to attend the moot in Kal-Thalas at the next full moon. Revelations from the Fate Fighters Korroticus flew by Griffinback to Stonewatch Abbey to inform the Fate Fighters of the moot and that the Heralds would need to attend. He also provided them with information and politics on the tribes. Fynn and Fern confirmed to Korriticus that they had viewed Merith and were sure he was the king that Halthadrian referred to. The Fate Fighters also informed Korroticus that a trio of banished gods called The Triad seemed to be behind many of the evils taking place, and warned that they seemed to have corrupted not only Orlesean and probably Gildorn, but the Wild Runners as well, pointing out that Opal had observed a cleric with Tugadumness wore the holy symbol of the Triad. Jasper and Wu both explained that they had been granted visions by their gods of a great danger brewing in the west that would threaten them, but a cleric of Jamor named Decius had been giving explicit visions of a fiery cataclysm from the west if all races did not band together to fight it. Korroticus listened to visions that Decius had seen, and asked the Fate Fighters to bring Decius to the moot if possible, to explain this to the other tribes. Korroticus was shocked when Wu next informed him that they had broken Merith out of prison in Waymere, and equipped him and left him in the woods to find his way back. Wu stated he'd asked Merith to find Korroticus as he felt the two would work well together to foster the harmonious future that they sought. The Moot of the Kirathi Tribes Korroticus left Stonewatch Abbey immediately and located Merith, escorting him back to Dralthanor and comparing notes. They began making arrangements not just for the moot but also Merith's announcement that he would put his name forward to lead all the tribes. The arrangements would be difficult in and of themselves, as Kal-Thalas had been conquered by the Gildornnians and was now the seat of the Gildornian Prefect. Worse, due to a recent edict by Duke Marcus Cornelius Agrippa, elves were not allowed to congregate in groups of more than three or four. However the moot had to be held at the Grove of the Dancer, so they took precautions to get all the required parties there under the nose of the Gildornians. On the 10th of Twins the moon would be full and the Moot could take place. The Fate Fighters arrived the day of the moot and they had brought Decius with them as requested. To everyone's surprise the Valthanor Tribe, not seen in public for centuries, attended. After the normal business of grievances and agreements between tribes was addressed, Korroticus called upon the moot to hear the words of their guests. Decius spoke first, telling of the fiery apocalypse brewing in the west that Jamor had shown him, and urging all races to band together to stave off annihilation. Wu Xen spoke next, also warning of the danger to the west but also urging the elven tribes to unite under Merith and build a strong nation that could co-exist with Gildorn, and fight to force that recognition if necessary. Opal spoke a few words as well, urging the Gildornians to be bloodied and brought to heel for their racisim and unjust treatment of elves. Then the twins spoke, explaining their experience Halthadrian's Tomb, the words the elf king's spirit had told them and the confirmation that Merith was the next, true king of a united elven people. Last, Merith gave a rousing speech about how the Gildornians had wronged the elves and would continue to do so and how capitulation would only end in their destruction. He avowed that he would live in peace with any who showed elves equal respect but he would just as readily bring war to those who sought to harm them. Next Gallerius of the Lorathel Tribe, Tugadumness' second in command, spoke He condemned the Fate Fighters as Gildornian agents and implied that Merith had not been imprisoned in Waymere, but treating with the Gildornians as an ally. He accused them of all having only Gildornian interests at heart, stated that only he could save the elven people, and urged the tribes to name him as king and join him in a war against Gildorn. The moot adjourned for a day to discuss the developments and the tribes votes for king. When it resumed the following night, however, it was promptly attacked. Warned by the terrified Iolaus of the Nilthanar Tribe, the Gildornians contracted the Grey Wizards of Waymere to teleport a squad of soldiers into the moot while a column of men marched on it from without. The attack squad were equipped with magic items that allowed them to magically paralyze a person and then teleport back to Waymere with them. In this manner they were able to capture Merith, Athos, Tacitus and Memnon and get away with them. They nearly captured Gallerius as well, but he was saved by Noel Gorehammer. The elves, accompanied by the Fate Fighters, were able to slay many of the soldiers and Jasper, Fynn, Fern and Noel used the magical devices found on some of the soldiers to teleport back to Waymere to attempt to free the captured elf lords. Meanwhile the elves, along with Wu, Corin, Opal and Decius, withdrew from the Grove of the Dancer. An emergency and impromptu council was held less than a mile from the Grove as the elven leaders decided what to do next. The leaders of the Kal-Thalas Tribe insisted that the elves take action, believing war was now on and unavoidable. The Valthanor Tribe stated that the infrastructure of war had to be arranged before acting. Korroticus, now the lone member of the Dralthanor delegation, suggested attending to the immediate needs of those being killed first by the Gildornians and trying to get them out of the area to safety first. The Lorathel Tribe then arrived and Gallerius insisted that he was the only choice to lead the battle and that he would take the town, kill the Gildornians present and use it as headquarters to wage war on Gildorn. The Kal-Thalas tribe immediately backed Gallerius, and the Valthanor tribe reluctantly agreed as well. Korroticus adamantly and immediately refused to support Gallerius. In a rage Gallerius ordered Korroticus off of "his" battlefield. He and the Fate Fighters withdrew, flying back to Dralthanor by griffon. As they left Korroticus had an aerial view of the Gildornian army burning the town of Nilthanar, just as they had in the last war. The site drew him to tears as he told his companions "Nilthanar burns again." Planning the Rescue of Merith Korroticus reported the events of the moot to his elders, who were split how the Dralthanor Tribe should respond. The two largest factions were advocating either attacking Waymere directly to secure the freedom of Merith, Memnon and Tacitus, who the other wished to march to Kal-Thalas and join Gallerius. Korroticus argued against both of these actions. He stated that attacking Waymere was foolhardy with their numbers and that giving any troops to Gallerius would only result in him using them for his own nefarious ends. Korroticus advocated tending to the non-combatants and getting them out of harms way for the moment, stating that they were the most helpless and that he did not trust Gallerius. He was able to at least get the faction that advocated attacking Waymere to back down when he told them that the Fate Fighters would effect a rescue of the kidnapped elf lords. Actions during the Second Kirathi Uprising Korroticus refused to join Gallerius' war against Gildorn at the Kirathi moot, and his decision was ratified by the Dralthanor elders. Instead Korroticus spent his efforts on getting the civilians in Kal-Thalas safely out of the war zone so they did not get caught in the crossfire. Korroticus led several forays into Kal-Thalas to evacuate non-combatants and try to ensure they were cared for. He happened to be present the day that the Gildornian fort fell and Gallerius had every human within slaughtered. The site of the amount of death disturbed him greatly. Preparing for the Expedition to Halthadrian's Tomb Korroticus kept contact with the Fate Fighters and became the main communication point between them and the Dralthanor elders. He was informed when Merith was rescued and taken to safety at Stonewatch Abbey. Merith and the Fate Fighters tasked Korroticus with gathering a representative from the Kal-Thalas Tribe and the Lorathel Tribe and meeting Merith and the Fate Fighters at Halthadrian's Tomb on the 2nd of Minstrel, 465. Korroticus dutifully extended offers to Gordianus of the Kal-Thals Tribe and Sharpur of the Lorathel, though only Gordianus accepted the invitation. Korroticus had the impression that Sharpur desired to accept, but was disallowed by Gallerius. Korraticus tasked Abyalynn to accompany him as bodyguard and they departed Dralthanor by Griffon, bound for Halthadrian's Tomb. Expedition into Halthadrian's Tomb Korroticus and Abyalynn rendezvoused with Gordianus and the three arrived at the tomb on the 1st of Minstrel and made contact with the Nilthanar representatives, Ethlandos and Bethalanalas Argwyn as well as Memnon who had accompanied them from Stonewatch Abbey. They also soon made contact with Elriel "the Opal" who was serving as the witness for the Valthanor Tribe and a short time later the Heralds, Fynnhanr and Fernith, arrived with Merith. They were shortly followed by the rest of the Fate Fighters. The Fate Fighters warned that on their last journey into the caves they had battled with a tribe of skum, and that the creatures could still be active. As a result it was agreed that Mertih and Korroticus would accompany the Fate Fighters into the tomb to ensure it was safe and the others would wait outside until summoned. Korroticus was awed to be within the fabled cave of Halthadrian’s Tomb, as it was somewhat taboo for elves to enter. Inside the party did, indeed, need to fight their way past a number of skum, led by one that the Fate Fighters called “Steve.” They also learned that a party of Wild Runners led by Gallerius himself had preceded them into the tomb. During their investigation they came upon the Wild Runners, who were fighting a losing battle against the skum. “Steve” had managed to poison and kidnap Gallerius while his minions covered his escape. Merith ordered Korroticus and the Fate Fighters to assist the wild runners and try to save Gallerius. Korraticus quietly questioned this order, but Merith explained that if he were save Gallerius he would be in their debit and the other Wild Runners present would see his mercy and be inclined to support him. Korroticus agreed and he and the Fate Fighters engaged. In short order the skum were slain, “Steve” was defeated and Gallerius, while unconscious and still poisoned, was rescued. Merith ordered that Gallerius was to be spared and requested his second in command on the mission, Cithrel, to attend the events inside the tomb. Fynn collected Ethlandos, Bethalanalas, and Gordianus once the way was clear. Fynn and Fern, as the Heralds, led the way as Merith, Korroticus, Opal, Cithrel, Ethlandos, Bethalanalas, and Gordianus entered the tomb. There the bones of Halthadrian came to life and demanded to know if Merith wished to rule the Kirathi. Merith declared himself and stated he wished to lead the Kirathi, not rule them. The dead king listened to Merith words and declared him worthy, removing the crown from his own bony pate and placing it upon Merith’s. Halthadrian then crumbled to dust. The elves and Fate Fighters present bowed to Merith, who declared that the Kirathi would make friends with their neighbors where possible, war when necessary, but never be ruled by anyone else ever again. Among the items found in the King’s tomb was a trio of ancient books. One detailed the journey of the elves to the Kirathi Forest, one detailed the Civil War that brought down the last Kirathi kingdom and the third seemed to be a spell book for Blood Magic. Merith named Korroticous the keeper of these tomes. Wu and Opal requested the one regarding the Civil War, stating that it might have information needed to fight the Triad, and Fynn and Fern demanded the Blood Magic spell book. Korroticus agreed to give the history tome to Wu and Opal (with Merith stressing this was a loan only) but declined to give the Blood Magic book to Fynn, though he agreed to study it and share and knowledge that he deemed non-dangerous. The elves departed the tomb, and with Gallerius and his Wild Runners flew off to set about building a new Kirathi Kingdom. Personality Korroticus is intelligent, charismatic, and fully committed to elvish liberty. He does not like war but believes just wars are necessary. He is willing and able to take on responsibility when necessary. The Fate Fighters have rekindled his hope for the future and he is intrigued by the idea and promises of Fernstead. He believes in the arrival of the prophesied Heralds of the King and would give his life to see Merith take the throne. In spite of his rekindled hope, Korroticus does not fully trust humans but does trust individual humans like Wu and Jasper. Korroticus has a strong hatred of goblins. Abilities Korroticus is a powerful and capable wizard, specializing in conjuration magics. He can cast spells up to the Fourth Circle of power. Because of his strong focus on conjuration, he has a sharply limited capacity for necromancy or illusion spells. In addition to his magical prowess, Korroticus is a proficient archer. Korroticus is highly learned in both arcane and mundane topics and is a capable diplomat. In addition to Elvish and Common, he is also able to speak Dwarven and Gnomish. He has also mastered the Gildornian language, in spite of his dislike of the Gildornian people. Category:Om Category:Characters Category:NPCs